Chapter 39: Barriers Isolate Freedom

On the street, a boy in a military police uniform wandered aimlessly.

【Streamer, didn't you receive a mission?】

【I saw the Streamer's skill, fire control—it's pretty impressive, but the dungeons are all watered down; seems like it had some effect, huh.】

【Feel sorry for Mo Yan for a second.】

【If the S Player can enter the same dungeon, the Streamer must have been leaning on some guild's leg, right?】

【Because you want to grab the top spot on the new leaderboard?】

【.......】

Mo Yan stared at the scrolling comments, and after a long while said a sentence.

"I want to fight for the ranking, entering the dungeon just to help Lu Ming, I say, hoping we can do a dungeon together."

"The words sound weird..." Beside Mo Yan, a boy also dressed in a military police uniform said, "Didn't you get a mission? You should look for clues first."

Mo Yan gave the boy a glance.

"Find Lu Ming first."

Seeing Mo Yan's stubborn look, the boy sighed helplessly, "If there's no S Player, we can't clear the dungeon? At least we could aim for the top five on the new leaderboard, right?"

"If we can survive to the end, that's enough; help Lu Ming clear the dungeon," Mo Yan said.

, really awesome... \" Kate was completely speechless.

Since the forum incident, Mo Yan hasn't contacted Lu Ming at all; regarding the article Lu Ming posted on the forum, Mo Yan only read the beginning and then set an absolute goal.

Just by following, the game can end, the waiting place can be liberated, and rush toward the new...

In the fourth stage of the Main God Space, the guild searched, also the top part of the pyramid; Mo Yan originally wanted to refuse, but the other side promised that each time the S Player could enter the same dungeon, so Mo Yan hesitantly agreed.

The other side also asked for the S Player's number, but Mo Yan, without thinking, refused, recalling the first dungeon experience, knowing that leaking the number would cause trouble for Lu Ming.

After entering the dungeon, Mo Yan found himself as a military police captain; through exploration, he also learned the world's background and received both main and side quests.

"Captain, East Street has already been patrolled," a military police saluted Mo Yan.

"... Hmm."

Mo Yan, adept at handling such situations, paused for a moment and said, "Disband the squad."

"Disband now?" the soldier asked puzzled, looking at Mo Yan, "We haven't even patrolled the outer city's refugee district; lately the rebels are rampant..."

"Ask the captain," Kate tapped the spot of the temple, "There's a slight problem with the brain."

Mo Yan ignored it, just looking for a reason to act alone: "Now then, disband the squad."

Although puzzled, the soldier still obeyed the order.

"Captain, where?"

Seeing Mo Yan turn and walk away, the soldier grabbed his sleeve: "You haven't assembled the squad yet."

How many broken affairs can a single military police squad handle?

Mo Yan felt it was troublesome, having already wasted a room, now just wants to meet up with Lu Ming early.

"Learn to organize the squad yourself."

Mo Yan dropped a line, leaving the bewildered soldier in disarray.

Next to them, the girl stared with her mouth open, still pretending to be the captain?

"Wait, wait a moment." Kate blocked Mo Yan's path: "To find the S Player, at least go to the refugee district first? I think the S Player definitely also received a mission, maybe they did too?"

A player's identity can affect the main quest; for example, some players' first missions go to the refugee district, while others go to the inner city.

And it can also change depending on NPC interactions.

Mo Yan paused, thought there was no problem, and nodded in agreement.

Dusk.

The girl stood by the fence, holding a jar, the sea wind ruffling her hair, her face brushed by it.

"... Why?"

Lu Ming looked left and right; the place was very hidden, barely seeing any paths; in the distance, towering walls could be seen, completely separating the open sea.

Lu Ming wanted to sit for a while, but he was carrying a sleeping boy on his back.

"You've asked so many questions, just tell me once," the girl said.

Good fellow, still giving orders......

Lu Ming spoke, then wanted to quietly watch what the girl was doing with his grandmother's ashes in the jar.

If it's for a clue, who would think to run around all afternoon; if in the end no clue is obtained, Lu Ming would truly be speechless.

"Grandma said, being born free, should be imprisoned in one place."

The girl opened the jar, stared at the ashes inside, murmuring to herself.

"It's like a fish, swimming freely in the deep sea, just like a fish in the sea; the body is a container, and the external shackles can never imprison the soul..."

"Grandma always wanted to see the outside world; if she could, perhaps the sea would lead her to find a new land."

The girl poured the ashes from the jar into the sea, watching them slowly dissolve into the deep blue water.

【Main storyline:

The class has lived behind walls for many years.

Sitting in a cage, one closes the door, yet greedily fantasizes about the new land outside, dreaming of being able to step onto land again.

Land's utopia, yet it confines itself; land will forever only be a utopia.

Need freedom, need to leave the cage!】

【Clue: The land's type of utopia, yet the type self-imprisons.】

【Main storyline progress: 21%】

"Hey, crying?" the girl looked at Lu Ming, puzzled.

"I know." Honestly, Lu Ming felt nothing himself, yet his body shed tears.

Perhaps those words formed a consensus with the lingering consciousness of the Original Owner.

Living day after day within the walls, perhaps the freedom outside is exactly what one yearns for.

"You want me to watch, afraid of being caught dumping ashes recklessly?" After holding it in for a long time, Lu Ming finally asked the question.

The girl frowned, "Say something else, and I'll hit you!"

Lu Ming: "......"

"Actually I've been ready in my heart for a while; rather than letting grandma keep living in torment…" the girl sniffed, "Now, thank you, but overall, I'll still make some higher‑ups pay the price, so that later they'll suffer less punishment, that's enough."

Lu Ming watched the girl talk to herself and felt bewildered.

"What will be the real goal from now on?" Lu Ming asked.

One could see the girl's genuine thoughts; a true thought would casually slip from her mouth.

The girl turned and glanced at the distant high wall, the wall that separates the outer sea.

"Have you heard of the Noah?" the girl paused, as if recalling something, "Never mind, the descendants of those higher‑ups can never listen; they only learn how to squeeze the lower classes."

【Main storyline clue: Noah】

【Previously led the group to dodge giant waves; where does it now appear? If found, can it lead to the new continent?】

【Main storyline progress: 27%】

【Main storyline mission updated!】

【Main storyline mission: gather as much information about Noah as possible!】

The girl took the sleeping younger brother from behind Lu Ming, his silhouette blending into the twilight and disappearing.